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Wayne Nickel, longtime Leominster city councilor, dies at 69

By Peter Jasinski, pjasinski@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
12/18/2016 09:05:55 PM EST

Ward 2 City Councilor Wayne Nickel and Pauline Lanciani chat as work outside the polls at the Francis Drake School in Leominster on Election Day in 2015. Nickel, who was first elected to the council in 1991, died Saturday at 69 after a period of declining health.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

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LEOMINSTER -- Wayne Nickel, a longtime city councilor who died Saturday morning after a period of declining health, is being remembered by his family and friends as a humble and gracious man dedicated to his Ward 2 constituents and his native Leominster.

"He was a very caring man who really loved the city of Leominster," said his son, Jeff Nickel. "He brought us up to be good people and do what's right for the community."

Nickel had served as Ward 2's representative on the City Council since 1992 and had retired from a career in the Radiology Department at HealthAlliance Hospital. He was also an honorary member of the Leominster Fire Department and Leominster Masonic Lodge and a founding member of the Leominster Boy Scout Museum.

"He was someone who worked his entire life and always worked hard," said Melissa Bible, his daughter.

Apart from public service, Bible said that her father also had a passion for history and practical jokes. A people person, Nickel frequently opened the pool at his Fifth Street home to neighborhood families during the summer.

Nickel was also a gifted singer, who performed with the choir of Pilgrim Congregational Church.

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One church tradition involved him singing "O Holy Night" every year during Christmas Eve services.

At-large Councilor Claire Freda, who had served alongside Nickel for the past 23 years, referred to her friend and colleague as an example of the old political style.

"He was always trying to keep his ear to the ground in his ward. He liked to visit with people and go to the coffee shops to hear what people thought was good or bad," she said, adding that this approach helped improve the quality of life in Ward 2.

"It had certainly progressed since he was elected," she said.

Nickel and at-large Councilor James Lanciani Jr. first became friends while working in the city's auxiliary police unit before serving on the council together.

"I've always found Wayne to be a complete gentleman," he said. "I've got nothing but fond memories from working with him."

Lanciani also reflected on a gift Nickel had given him after being elected.

"He had given me a nickel with the year of the election on it. It's still glued to the inside of my desk in City Hall. I even meant take it out to show him I still had it the other day," he said. "It was a privilege and an honor to have served with him."

Council President David Cormier, who praised Nickel as a wealth of knowledge regarding politics and council procedure, said his absence will create a void on the council.

"It's a huge loss to the City Council just in terms of Wayne's experience. He's served as chair of almost every committee at some point or another and served as president," he said.

Cormier explained that he had known Nickel since he befriended his son, Jeff when they were both in high school. After Cormier was elected in 2010, the two would often travel to cities like Lowell, Pittsfield, Holyoke and Chicopee to attend council meetings there.

"He loved to go to other meetings to get ideas that he could bring back to Leominster," he said. "Somebody is going to have very big shoes to fill."

While they didn't always see eye to eye, Mayor Dean Mazzarella pointed out that Nickel was an official who always maintained a sense of calm.

"He was fair, and there were things we agreed on and things we didn't, but he was always a gentleman," Mazzarella said. "I know he hadn't been feeling well for a while, but he kept going to council meetings right up to the end. That's commitment."

Nickel is survived by his wife, Ruth Ann, three children, Melissa, Jeff, and Douglas, and five grandchildren.

Calling hours will be held at Silas Richardson & Son Funeral Home Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. Funeral services will be held at Pilgrim Congregational Church on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

According to the city charter, the City Council can now order a special election to be held to fill the vacancy of the unfinished term.

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